|
September 2009
The American Physical Science conference, ADM-50: A Celebration of Current GR Innovation, marks the 50th anniversary of the ADM formulation by Charles Misner (Physics) and colleagues Richard Arnowitt and Stanley Deser, which restructured the dynamics of general relativity.
Charles Clark (IPST and JQI) was elected to the position of Chair Elect of the Physics Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dmitry Dolgopyat (Mathematics and IPST), has been selected as the second winner of the Brin Prize in Dynamics. The awardee is selected by an international committee which considers nominees from around the world. The award carries a cash prize of $15,000.
The International Children’s Digital Library, led by Ben Bederson (Computer Science and UMIACS), Allison Druin (UMIACS and CLIS) and Ann Weeks (CLIS) has won a 2009 Digital Education Achievement Award in the Learning and Engagement category from the Center for Digital Education and Converge magazine.
Victor Galitski (Physics) has been selected by the CMPS Board of Visitors to receive the Board’s Junior Faculty Award. The Award, established by the College’s Board of Visitors, recognizes particularly fine accomplishments in research and education by an assistant professor.
Jordan Goodman (Physics) has been selected as this year’s Presidents Medal recipient, the highest honor the university community can bestow. Goodman will be honored at the 26th Annual Faculty and Staff Convocation on Tuesday, October 6, 2009, 3:00pm in the Memorial Chapel.
Brit Kirwan (Mathematics and Chancellor of the University System of Maryland) is one of four recipients of the 2009 Carnegie Corporation Academic Leadership Award for Higher Education Leaders. The award carries a cash prize of $500,000.
Valerie Klavans (Undergraduate Astronomy Major) is this year’s winner of the Nancy and Ira Shapiro Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award, the College Park Scholars top research award. Klavans worked with Paul Romani, a College Park Scholar Instructor and NASA-Goddard scientist, on the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, which has a nitrogen atmosphere as dense as our own.
Xiaoming Liu (Graduate Student in Geology) has been selected to receive a Sand Student Research Presentation Travel Award from the Association of Women Geoscientists. The Award will be used to attend the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America in Portland, OR.
Dana Nau (Computer Science), Jim Hendler (Computer Science) and Kutluhan Erol (1995 M.S. and 1995 Ph.D. Computer Science, advisors Nau and Hendler) received an honorable mention for the ICAPS Influential Paper Award, which was awarded at the ICAPS-2009 conference, September 19-23, Thessaloniki, Greece. The award honors the influential paper, “A Sound and Complete Procedure for Hierarchical Task-network Planning.”
Dana Nau (Computer Science) was an invited speaker at the 32nd Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence which took place at Paderborn, Germany, September 15-18. Nau’s topic was “How Do You Plan if There are Other Agents and You Don’t Know Their Plans?”
Jan Sengers (IPST) gave an invited lecture on "Crossover Critical Phenomena in Fluids" at the 17th Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, Boulder, CO, June 21-26, 2009. He also gave an invited lecture on "Fluctuations in Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics" at the 5th International Workshop on Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics, Cuernavaca, Mexico, August 24-28, 2009.
Eitan Tadmor (Mathematics, CSCAMM and IPST) is an invited speaker at the 2010 Abel symposia at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, Oslo, Norway. The symposium takes place September 28-October 1, 2010.
August 2009
Tony Busalacchi (AOSC and ESSIC) has been appointed Chair, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC), the National Academies. The Board’s mission is to promote excellence in the atmospheric sciences, meteorology, and climate-related fields and to provide assistance to federal agencies, the science community, and the nation on these issues.
Sankar Das Sarma (Physics) has been ranked 18th out of 20 top scientists in a preprint entitled “Diffusion of Scientific Credits and the Ranking of Scientists” by Filippo Radicchio, Santo Fortunato, Benjamin Markines and Alessandro Vespignani which defines a ranking method based on a diffusion algorithm that mimics the spreading of scientific credits on the network.
Undergraduate students Brittany Jenner (Geology) and Kaitlyn Tuley (Mathematics and Physics) were selected, in a national competition, to receive a National Consortium for Measurement and Signature Intelligence Research (NCMR) Scholarship. Administered through NSF, the NCMR Scholars Program supports human capital initiatives by DIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and underwrites the training of future scientists and technologists to encourage them to consider the IC as a viable technical career path.
Rabindra Mohapatra (Physics) has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of North Orissa, India in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Physics. The award was presented by the Governor of Orissa, Shri Murlidhar C. Bhandare.
July 2009
The paper "A Unified Approach to Ranking in Probabilistic Databases" by Jian Li, Barna Saha (Computer Science Graduate Students) and Amol Deshpande (Computer Science and UMIACS) has been selected as the best paper in VLDB (Very Large Data Bases) 2009.
Ricardo Nochetto (Mathematics and IPST) and Bill Goldman (Mathematics) have been invited by the International Mathematics Union to speak at the quadrennial International Congress of Mathematics in 2010. These invitations are among the most prestigious awards, after the Fields Medal and the Japan, Wolf and Abel Prizes, that a mathematician can receive.
June 2009
The paper "Using Histograms to Better Answer Queries to Probabilistic Logic Programs" by Matthias Broecheler, Gerardo Simari (Computer Science Graduate Students) and V.S. Subrahmanian (Computer Science and UMIACS) has been named the recipient of the Best Student Paper Award at the 2009 International Conference on Logic Programming to be held in Pasadena, CA in July 2009.
Christine Finke (Arts and Humanities Student who participated in the CMPS Earth, Life and Time College Park Scholars program) has received a Fellowship from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and will spend the 2009-2010 academic year teaching English in Germany.
Eugenia Kalnay (AOSC and IPST) has been awarded the International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize, the World Meteorological Organization’s most prestigious prize, for her leadership in the field of global numerical weather prediction and analysis, including data assimilation and ensemble forecasting.
Hanan Samet (Computer Science and UMIACS) has been selected as the winner of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) Research Award for 2009 in recognition of his landmark book on data structures and its outstanding impact on the theory and practice of GIScience.
Lucy McFadden (Astronomy) is a member of the Dawn Science Operations Team which received the NASA Group Achievement Award "for exceptional and successful execution of the Dawn post-launch payload characterization and calibration activities."
May 2009
Jeffrey Adams, Mathematics, has been awarded the 2009 Kirwan Faculty Research and Scholarship Prize, recognizing his fundamental breakthrough in the unitary dual problem through the mapping of the E8 Lie Group and the compiling of the Atlas of Lie Groups and Representations. This annual prize recognizes highly significant work of research, scholarship or artistic creativity by a faculty member within the last three years.
Stuart S. Antman, Mathematics and IPST, Howard Elman, Dianne O'Leary and Pete Stewart, all Computer Science and UMIACS, have been selected for the initial class of Fellows of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). Fellowship honors distinguished SIAM members who have made outstanding contributions to the fields served by SIAM.
Andrew Ballard, Chemical Physics Graduate Student, has received a Fellowship from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and will spend the 2009-2010 academic year in the research group of Professor Christoph Dellago, University of Vienna, Austria.
Nicholas Chen, Computer Science Graduate Student, has been selected as the recipient of a Google Fellowship Award in Human-Computer Interaction. The 2009 fellowships, awarded to 13 recipients nationwide, highlight contributions to research and supports the recipients through their graduate studies.
Rita Colwell, UMIACS, received honorary doctorates from the University of New England and the University of Arkansas. She was also appointed Chair of the RIKEN Advisory Board in Japan and reappointed to the National Research Foundation of Singapore’s Scientific Advisory Board.
Jordan Goodman, Physics, has been selected to join the inaugural class of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Teaching Scholars on the subject of Marquee Courses in Science and Technology. Graduate students Moshe Adrian, Mathematics, Ricardo Arevalo, Geology, Sorelle Friedler, Computer Science, Jordan Horowitz, Physics, Kevin McGoff, Mathematics and Kathleen Scheiderich, Geology, are recipients of Ann G. Wylie Dissertation Fellowships for the Fall 2009 semester from The Graduate School.
Graduate students Warren Huelsnitz, Physics and Suriyanarayan Vaikuntanathan, Chemical Physics, are recipients of a special Summer Research Graduate Fellowship, awarded competitively by The Graduate School.
Doron Levy, Mathematics and CSCAMM, has been awarded a 2008-2009 Departmental Award for Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching from the Center for Teaching Excellence for his development of a new calculus course, in cooperation with the College of Chemical and Life Sciences, that specifically targets Biology majors.
Rabindra Mohapatra, Physics, was awarded a Doctorate of Science (Honoris Causa) by North Orissa University, India for his outstanding contributions in the field of science.
Stanley Ohaka, Geology Undergraduate, with colleagues Trevor Young, Environmental Economics and Shavon Holland, American Studies, were winners in the University of Maryland Business Plan Competition. The team won in the undergraduate division and also received the Warren Citrin Social Impact Award for developing a system to provide sustainable electricity to rural communities in the developing world and help improve the quality of life in these communities. The company, Tseai Energy Unlimited, plans to design and build micro-power plants using renewable energy sources.
Jan Plane, Computer Science, has been selected as the Provost’s Faculty Academic Advisor of the Year.
Eitan Tadmor, Mathematics, CSCAMM and IPST, has been awarded the 2009 Distinguished Scientist Award (Mathematics) by the Washington Academy of Sciences. James Yorke, Mathematics, Physics and IPST, received the award in 2008.
Devarajan Thirumalai, IPST and Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He also received a Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists in recognition of his past accomplishments in research and teaching.
Undergraduate students, Matthew Barr, Physics and Computer Science, Isaac Carruthers, Computer Science and Physics, and John Silberholz, Mathematics, Business and Computer Science, were awarded Senior Summer Scholars funding from the Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research.
April 2009
DEAN’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING:
Kasso A. Okoudjou, Department of Mathematics
OUTSTANDING INSTRUCTOR:
Jandelyn D. Plane, Department of Computer Science
OUTSTANDING TEACHING ASSISTANT:
Peter C. Fontana, Department of Computer Science
THELMA M. WILLIAMS ADVISOR OF THE YEAR:
Ida K. Chan, Department of Mathematics
OUTSTANDING EXEMPT EMPLOYEE AWARD:
Ritzie M. Coleman, CMPS Dean’s Office Donna M. Hammer, Department of Physics
OUTSTANDING NON-EXEMPT EMPLOYEE AWARD:
Clay M. Daetwyler, Department of Physics Sandra M. Romeo, Department of Geology J.
ROBERT DORFMAN PRIZE FOR UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH:
R. Matt McCutchen, Computer Science and Mathematics
2009 OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE:
Kristin V. Stephens, Computer Science
NATIONAL BARRY M. GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR MATHEMATICS, ENGINEERING AND SCIENCES:
Zachary N. Russ, Mathematics and Bioengineering
John M. Silberholz, Mathematics, Computer Science and Business
Kara Hoffman, Physics, has been awarded an NSF Faculty Career Award for “Towards a GZK Neutrino Detector at the South Pole." The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations.
Jim Gates, Physics, has been appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). The group will advise President Obama and the Vice President to help the administration formulate policy in the many areas where understanding of science, technology, and innovation is key to forming responsible and effective policy. Gates has also been appointed to the Maryland State Board of Education with his term beginning in July 2009 and lasting four years.
Arthur La Porta, Physics and IPST, has been selected as the 2008-2009 Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year by the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and the Dean for Undergraduate Studies.
Bill McDonough, Geology, has been selected by the CMPS Board of Visitors to receive the Board’s Distinguished Faculty Award. The Award, established by the College’s Board of Visitors, recognizes outstanding accomplishments over the previous five years that have had a major impact, and thereby contributed significantly to raising the profile and visibility of the College.
Eve Ostriker, Astronomy, has been named a Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for her work on large-scale regulation of star formation. The Guggenheim Memorial Foundation annually recognizes and awards professional scholars in all fields, with the exception of performing arts, "on the basis of stellar achievement and exceptional promise for continued accomplishment."
Lawrence Washington, Mathematics, is the recipient of the John M. Smith Faculty Award for Exceptional Teaching awarded by the Mathematical Association of America.
John Weeks, IPST, Physics and Chemistry, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Established in 1863, the Academy acts as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology.
The University of Maryland’s chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the Physics Honor Society, is a recipient of the 2009 Sigma Pi Sigma Chapter Project Awards. The Society will use the award to fund a Student-Faculty Dinner for the Physics Department.
March 2009
Michael E. Fisher, Physics and IPST, has been awarded the title of Ph.D. honoris causa by the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to science or society. The ceremony of conferment will take place in early November 2009.
Gleneesha Johnson, Graduate Student, Computer Science (advisor Ashok Agrawala) won the 2nd place Innovation Award at the Google Ph.D. Forum held at the IEEE PerCom 2009 conference. Her work was entitled "Towards Shrink-Wrapped Security: A Taxonomy of Security-Relevant Context."
Patrick O'Shea, Physics and ECE, has been selected as a 2009-2010 Distinguished Scholar-Teacher. This program honors members of the College Park faculty who have demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievement along with equally outstanding accomplishments as teachers. O'Shea is Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Undergraduate students John M. Silberholz, Mathematics, Computer Science and Business, and Zachary N. Russ, Mathematics and Bioengineering, have been awarded Goldwater Scholarships. Selected from a field of over 1,000 on the basis of academic merit, 278 scholarships were awarded to undergraduate sophomores and juniors. Thirty Scholars are mathematics majors, 190 are science and related majors, 51 are majoring in engineering, and 7 are computer science majors.
Scott Wolpert, Mathematics, has been invited to join the International Selection Committee for the S.-T. Yau High School Mathematics Awards, Beijing. The Awards were established to encourage outstanding high school students in China, and overseas, in their early pursuit of mathematical truth. About 18 teams will be selected to give an oral presentation of their project, followed by an inquiry before the International Committee
.Back to Top
|
